TV-Series
Description
The Professor, whose real name is Hokusai Azuma, is the leader of the organization responsible for releasing the glowing fish that drift through Tokyo and grant humans extrasensory perception. Because contact with these fish is what awakens ESP powers, his control over their distribution lets him shape the emergence of espers across the city and gather the strongest of them into his group. Among the fighters he recruits is a Chinese martial artist who calls herself the Evil Ghost of the Woods, a woman whose power of repulsion complements her physical skills. The Professor is the main antagonist of the first part of the anime, and the conflict of that arc is driven largely by his schemes.
His own ESP is the power of illusion. He can create a wide variety of illusions and project them directly into an opponent's mind, so that the affected person experiences the illusion through all of the senses, including touch, smell, and taste. Because the victim perceives the false images as completely real, the ability allows him to deceive, disorient, and overpower enemies who would otherwise be stronger or faster than him.
In personality, the Professor is a calculating criminal mastermind. He operates through manipulation, terror, and careful planning rather than direct confrontation, and he is willing to let the glowing fish spread chaos through Tokyo in order to advance his goals. His larger aim is connected to a scheme to secure a utopia built around espers, and he treats the people around him, including members of his own family, as pieces in that design.
His family relationships are central to his place in the story. He is the father of Minami Azuma, a teleporter who follows him and carries out his orders, and the adoptive father of Kyotaro Azuma, who becomes one of the main heroes opposing him. Minami disappeared two years before the main events together with her father, and her return as an enemy is tied directly to the Professor's plans. For Kyotaro, the revelation that his adoptive father is the criminal mastermind behind the espers creates a deeply personal conflict, because he must fight against the man who raised him even as he remains committed to justice.
The Professor's development in the anime is defined by his role as the architect of the first arc's conflict rather than by any change in his beliefs. He remains behind the scenes for much of the story, directing his followers and unleashing the glowing fish to set events in motion, and he stands as the primary threat that the main characters must ultimately overcome.
His own ESP is the power of illusion. He can create a wide variety of illusions and project them directly into an opponent's mind, so that the affected person experiences the illusion through all of the senses, including touch, smell, and taste. Because the victim perceives the false images as completely real, the ability allows him to deceive, disorient, and overpower enemies who would otherwise be stronger or faster than him.
In personality, the Professor is a calculating criminal mastermind. He operates through manipulation, terror, and careful planning rather than direct confrontation, and he is willing to let the glowing fish spread chaos through Tokyo in order to advance his goals. His larger aim is connected to a scheme to secure a utopia built around espers, and he treats the people around him, including members of his own family, as pieces in that design.
His family relationships are central to his place in the story. He is the father of Minami Azuma, a teleporter who follows him and carries out his orders, and the adoptive father of Kyotaro Azuma, who becomes one of the main heroes opposing him. Minami disappeared two years before the main events together with her father, and her return as an enemy is tied directly to the Professor's plans. For Kyotaro, the revelation that his adoptive father is the criminal mastermind behind the espers creates a deeply personal conflict, because he must fight against the man who raised him even as he remains committed to justice.
The Professor's development in the anime is defined by his role as the architect of the first arc's conflict rather than by any change in his beliefs. He remains behind the scenes for much of the story, directing his followers and unleashing the glowing fish to set events in motion, and he stands as the primary threat that the main characters must ultimately overcome.